A biased look at psychology in the world

January 2008

January 03, 2008

In the November issue of Psychological Medicine a study is presented examining the psychological aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl accident . This study describes the long-term psychological effects of Chernobyl in 295 male clean-up workers sent to Chernobyl between 1986 and 1990. The workers were interviewed 18 years after the accident (71% participation rate) along with 397 geographically matched controls interviewed as part of the Ukraine World Mental Health (WMS) Survey 16 years after the accident. The authors examined group differences in common psychiatric disorders, suicide ideation and severe headaches, differential effects of disorder on days lost from work, and in the clean-up workers, the relationship of exposure severity to disorder and current trauma and somatic symptoms. The results indicated that relatively more clean-up workers than controls experienced depression (18.0% v. 13.1%) and suicide ideation (9.2% v. 4.1%) after the accident. In the twelve months before the interview, the rates of depression (14.9% v. 7.1%), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (4.1% v. 1.0%) and headaches (69.2% v. 12.4%) were elevated. Affected workers lost more work days than affected controls with exposure level was associated with current somatic and PTSD symptom severity. The authors concluded that workers tasked with cleaning up after major disasters can face long-term mental health consequences that need to be recognized and treated accordingly.

January 01, 2008

After receiving approval from the Catholic Church, a new centre is scheduled to be opened in the Polish town of Poczernin near the German border to provide exorcisms for those believing themselves to be possessed. Andrzej Trojanowski, an academic chaplain who has been working in the nearby town of Szczeczin for the past five years, will be directing the centre. Father Trojanowski is reported to have dealt with twenty cases a week in his former position. While there are currently fifty exorcists operating in Poland, the centre will be the first of its kind in that country. The new centre is also expected to draw potential clients from Germany due to the lack of exorcists in that country. Reports indicate that the centre will be built as a retreat house with a chapel, guest rooms and clinical facilities for the psychiatrist who has been working with Father Trojanowski.

After a long decline throughout most of the twentieth century, demand for exorcisms began to make a comeback in the 1960s (partially spurred by movies such as The Exorcist). Demonic possession remains firmly entrenched in Catholic doctrine with a revised ritual for exorcism being issued in 1999. Under Canon law, only ordained priests may perform exorcisms with permission from the local bishop and after careful examination to rule out the possibility of mental illness. Exorcisms remain a common practice in many religions across the world and continue to be carried out despite cases of forced exorcisms and exorcism-related deaths.